Russian sage · Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
When to sow russian sages in Philadelphia
Main outdoor window
28 Apr - 26 May
The window this page is built around.
Timed from last spring frost
14 April
In Philadelphia, on your chosen risk.
Ready to pick
1 Jul - 30 Sep
If you plant at the start of the window.
The average last frost. Half of all years are later than this.
Step by step in Philadelphia
Each window is a range, not a single day. Earlier in the range buys you a longer season; later in it buys you a safer one.
Plant out
28 Apr - 26 May
Two weeks after your last frost.
In flower
1 Jul - 30 Sep
Russian sages through the year
Against the frost risk in Philadelphia
Why these dates
Plant out in spring after the last frost. Leave the woody stems standing over winter and cut them back to 15cm in early spring as the new buds appear - cutting in autumn removes the crown's own frost protection and is the usual reason a plant is lost in a cold winter.
Hardy to -30C in dry soil, considerably less in wet. Winter drainage is the deciding factor everywhere near its cold limit.
Seed packets and extension guides express timing as weeks either side of the last spring frost, because that is the only reference point that travels. Russian sages are timed with planting out 2 weeks after it, and this page simply resolves those offsets against the frost date computed for Philadelphia.
Hardiness is not the obstacle here. Philadelphia is zone 7a, comfortably inside the range this crop is rated for, so an established plant should come through an average winter without protection.
Do not expect a crop in the first year. A plant set out now should give its first worthwhile pick around year 1, and will then produce every year after that, which is what makes the planting decision worth getting right the first time.
Nearby
Russian sages in places close by
Also in Philadelphia
Other flowers to time
Growing russian sages in Philadelphia
When should I plant russian sages in Philadelphia?
Aim for 28 Apr - 26 May in an average year. If you would rather not gamble on the weather, wait until 7 May - 4 Jun - by then frost has finished in nine years out of ten.
When will russian sages be ready to harvest in Philadelphia?
Expect to start picking around 1 Jul - 30 Sep, based on 120 to 150 days to maturity from the planting date calculated for this location.
How much frost will russian sages tolerate?
Hardy to -30C in dry soil, considerably less in wet. Winter drainage is the deciding factor everywhere near its cold limit.